Should the New England Patriots Try to Acquire Odell Beckham Jr.?

There have been many rumors circulating about the New England Patriots potentially trying to trade for Giants star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. At first glance, this move does not seem like something the Patriots would do. The Giants would require multiple high-round draft picks, and the Patriots do not usually like to trade for star players. In addition, OBJ has a history of being a bad teammate and bringing unneeded negative media attention to his team, actions that are historically against anything the Patriots believe in. On paper, the Patriots and OBJ just don’t seem like they would go together well. But at the same time, this risky move might be one that could benefit all parties involved.

For starters, the Patriots are looking for help at the wide receiver position. They were extremely thin at that position this year, and with Chris Hogan, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Phillip Dorsett all slated to be free agents this offseason, they will need to bolster their depth at this skill position. OBJ would not only help them at a position of need, but he would also certainly be an upgrade over any of these receivers leaving this offseason. If the Patriots were able to find a way to acquire OBJ, he would be the second-most talented receiver Tom Brady has ever played with, trailing only closely behind the all-time great Randy Moss. Knowing how well Brady and Moss played together during his short stint in New England, one can only dream about the potential success that a Brady-Beckham duo would have. Brady and Moss set records, and with the enormous amount of talent OBJ has displayed on the Giants with the declining Eli Manning as his quarterback, you would have to think that the rest of Brady’s career would be well spent in a big play offense with an incredible number one wide receiver.

Although OBJ is a young, talented wide receiver that any quarterback in the Giants system would benefit from, it might still be a good decision for the Giants to move on. The Giants seem like they are headed towards full rebuild mode as they look to make the transition from Eli Manning to a younger quarterback, and every team looking to rebuild loves the idea of high draft picks. While it’s true that OBJ would certainly be a big help to a young quarterback like Dwayne Haskins or Kyler Murray coming into the league, the Giants might want more picks to draft more top-tier young talent in other positions of need instead. Whether this is offensive line or anything on defense, the Giants could use these draft picks to build a young core around their new quarterback and deal OBJ now so as not to waste him in his prime.

Even though Tom Brady might be winning the battle against Father Time right now, it is clear that he is starting to show the effects of his age as a 41-year-old quarterback. There are only so many good years of Tom Brady left for the Patriots, and so it only makes sense that they should go all in while he’s still around. Upgrading at wide receiver would be a huge help to the team regardless of the off-field issues, and if the Giants want to really hit the blow-up button, dealing OBJ might be the idea move them too. Even OBJ himself has said that he would like to play on the Patriots, and a change of scenery could be good for him as he enters his prime. This trade has the potential to be a win-win-win with all three parties receiving many benefits, and even though there is certainly some potential danger associated with this hypothetical deal, these teams seem like they’re presently in the position to take that chance.